Paint
by Lou Buggins
Summary: Raven gets a naughty idea while accompanying Gar on a mission in his old home. Inspired by a piece drawn by Kiome-yasha from Tumblr.


**A BBRae One-shot inspired by a piece drawn by Kiome-yasha on Tumblr. Link to the drawing at the bottom of this page. Reviews always appreciated! **

The buzzing of the cicadas drifted through the rainforest and faded away into the background. The birdsongs that played endlessly through the day and night offered an unusual comfort to his surroundings. The silence was an enemy out here. With every step he took, the water splashed around his bare legs. The frogs croaked and jumped out of his way while the fish swam quickly past his feet. As he waded through the murky pond, he kept an eye out for any unwelcome guests to come stalking from their latest snack. Though he supposed it was he who was the stranger here, after all, it had been too long since he had ever called this place his home.

He trekked slowly through the mud, being careful to balance the crimson paint that swirled in the large, hand-carved bowl in his hands. As he traveled deeper into the swamp, his pointed ears twitched at a new sound that mixed with the natural tune of the forest. It was a pleasant addition, one that was faint was easily recognizable. It began in a blend of the animal's chorus, but as he followed the sound it became the most distinct. A low, gentle humming of a wordless song that made his heart swell and his legs pick up speed as he carried himself with a restored purpose. He focused on the whimsical song until he came into sight of the one who sang it.

She sat beneath an old water willow, her back leaning against its trunk and her legs saddling its largest root. The violet strands of her hair were dis-even and abruptly cut, but they still curled at the ends and framed her circular face. She had her face tilted downward as her gaze looked over her swollen belly. Her arms were wrapped protectively around her womb and her fingers traced her pink stretch marks. Her toes were dipped lazily into the cool water as she drew small circles with her feet. It was a tranquil sight to behold, one that made him take pause and soak in, hopefully committing every detail of this moment into a memory.

But his presence was quickly detected as she caught sight of him through the corner of her eye. She turned her attention to him completely and offered him a small smile as he returned to her.

"Is that the last one?" She asked him as she looked to the bowl in his hands.

He nodded but included a, "sure is," in his reply before he sat the bowl beside two others at the end of the root. She lifted her feet out of the water and bent her knees so that she feet rested on the bark of the tree and so that he could take a seat in front of her. When he sat down, she took one leg and draped it over his lap.

"Good, now you can stay."

He laughed at her statement and at her silly antics as he noticed she had effectively trapped him in between her legs. Normally, this position would garner a much different reaction from him, but these were different circumstances.

"I was only gone a moment you know." He explained to her as he slowly ran his hand up the bottom of her calf and stopped at her thigh. The intimate action sent her body aflame with goosebumps and a blush working its way up her cheeks.

"Felt like ages to us." She insisted as her gaze dropped back down to her round stomach.

An amused grin pulled at the corner of his lips. "Well then, I'm sorry for keeping you two waiting." He apologized, then leaned down to press a loving kiss above her belly button.

Her small smile widened ever so slightly as she regarded him with amusement and affection pooling in her deep purple eyes. "You'll have to make it up to us."

Slowly, he lifted his lips off her tight, but soft skin and his dark emerald eyes met her gaze. His smirk matching her own. "Oh is that so?" His voice rising in a teasing fashion.

"Mhm...and you know exactly what we want too." She said with knowing smile as she tried to lean in closer to him, but her extended belly stopped her halfway.

Gar nodded his head as he slid his hands down her legs, his touch leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. Leaning her head back against the trunk of the old cypress tree, she watched him move with bated breath and she chewed on her bottom lip as she tried to stifle her anticipation. The tips of his claws grazed her porcelain skin as he came to the curve of her swollen right ankle. Then his bare, calloused fingers wrapped firmly around her awaiting foot, one hand on the base of her ankle and the other on the top of her arch. Without breaking eye contact with her, he tenderly kneaded the swollen flesh, digging deep into the muscles.

Raven's eyes slid to the back of her head and a long, audible moan escaped past her lips. "Oh, sweet Azar that feels so good."

Gar grinned to himself, pride swelling his chest as he continued his massage on her foot. He loved to pamper his angel beauty any chance he could, especially as she carried their child all the way out to this unforgiven terrain. With this being her first pregnancy, and with an actual demon child no less, they had been airing on the side of caution for the past six months; but on the brink of the third trimester, he had been given a notice he could not ignore. Dick had been the one to tell him. He had explained over their video chat the details of threat rising right in the heart of the African tribe he had once in his life called home. The people of this land, his people, were in grave danger and he knew he had to be the one to go in and investigate. Dick had tried to convince him to stay, to send in a younger, less tied-down Titan, but he refused. Much in the same way his wife has refused to stay behind as he went on this perilous adventure.

Raven knew the African heat would be brutal and the forest marsh would be merciless on her aching back. She knew that going to a place where the nearest hospital was a two-day drive while being seven months pregnant would put her and the baby in jeopardy in a place that was already hiding in danger's shadow. But nothing could keep her from being at her husband's side, now more than ever. Not only did she depend on him to help her through the pregnancy, but she also knew he needed her for his own emotional support.

They have known each other for nearly six years now, and despite their closeness, she still did not fully understand all that he went through in his past. She had known that this small slice of the African Congo had been where he spent his earliest days. She knew that he had grown close to the native people here and that the king of the tribal nation had taken favor of him. So when he told her of the trouble brewing in his old home, she knew this mission would strike some emotional cords for him.

What she had not expected was to be welcomed into the tribe like a queen greeting her subjects. From the moment Gar was recognized by the warriors that had met them at the border of their land, she was given respectful bows and high praises. When the warriors escorted them to the main village, the woman working the weaves and cooking fires looked up to her with awe. Their children stopped their playing and rushed to catch glimpses of her and her husband past the royal guard. Music had played in their honor as they were led to the largest hut at the center of the village. When they finally met the aging chieftain, he had greeted Gar as he was welcoming a son. For Gar had failed to mention one very important detail - the man was their _prince_.

And that's when she realized the people of this tribe were treating her like their princess. A group of women helped her bathe and gave her a set of traditional tribal clothing. They all understood her English, but only one spoke it fluently. She was young, about Raven's age, and revealed herself to be the chief's daughter. She translated what the older women were saying, mostly praises regarding her beauty and her pregnancy. They gossiped about the people of the village, giving her a rundown of the happenings and relationships of people she had no inkling of, but she nodded along respectfully. Somehow during the conversation, they had brought up a special tradition meant to be between two lovers. That a newly married couple was sent deeper into the forest to give each other new body markings that would be unique to their future family. Raven's first thought was that they did not have time to participate in such ceremonial events, but the prospect of being alone with Gar had made the suggestion all the more tempting. Only a day into staying here and she already craved the peace and quiet she normally had back home.

Not that she was not grateful to the kindness of the tribe, but she was not accustomed to having so many people pamper her at once. She also had become used to having Gar's presence looming over her most of the day. Since she told him she was pregnant, he had been a constant presence around her. His overprotectiveness had been bothersome at first, but now it had come to be appreciated and not having him where she could see him made her agitated.

When they were finally reunited, the daughter recommended the ceremony to the chief, who quickly agreed to the idea. Gar had been hesitant at first, much like her. They had both traveled a great deal and were both mentally and physically drained for the day, but the look Raven gave him told him she had an alternative interest for going out for the evening. Not being one to question that look, Gar had graciously accepted the offer.

"So is this why you wanted to come all the way out here? For a foot rub?" He teased her as he continued to massage her swollen feet.

She scoffed at the false accusation and adjusted herself on the oversized tree root. "No of course not." She insisted, but paused before she added, "This is just a bonus."

A hardy laugh rumbled in his chest. "So what, you genuinely wanted me to put paint all over you?"

His words had been phrased as a skeptical question, but the pregnant woman narrowed her eyes as they glistened with lust. Though her mouth was in a mischievous smirk.

"No," she began, her voice lowered and slow. "_I_ want to put paint _all_ over _you_."

Shamelessly, she let her gaze devour his midsection. His bare chest exposing every curly jade hair and every chiseled muscle. She looked all the way down to the lone loincloth that covered the part of him she longed for most at this moment. Gar squirmed under her hungry stare, and he could not tell if he was flattered or scared at the way she ogled his body like a starving jungle cat.

"Careful Mama, this isn't the place for that kind of look."

He had stopped massaging her feet and opted instead to rub wide circles over her pregnant belly. The gesture acting as an unspoken reminder of her current condition. Much to her frustration and disappointment, she knew he was probably right. A tree in the middle of a swamp was not exactly an ideal place to make love and being with child only complicated matters more. She could wait until they returned to the village and enjoy the luxury of a bed, but she was not sure just how comfortable a mattress stuffed with hay could be. Besides, she doubted the tent they were to share would be soundproof. So really, this was as good a spot as any, now that she thought about it.

Foreigning an innocent smile, she offered this time to simply apply the paint. To which Gar had agreed by handing her a bowl of liquid as dark as a midnight sky. Wordlessly, she dipped her pointer and index finger into the thick, gooey paint and swirled them around in slow circles. Gar watched her which a quirked eyebrow as she rose her fingers out of the bowl and held them there for a moment. The paint rained down into the pool of obsidian black and she waited until it waned into a steady dripping before she lowered her fingers back into the cold liquid. This time, she lifted her fingers back up, but only to her first knuckles. Then she slid them back into the dark pool. She repeated the action several times, each one faster than the last. The changeling watched her with wide eyes and mouth agape.

Once she decided to stop, she let the paint drizzle off her fingers one last time, then brought them over to his chest. She pressed into the firm muscle of his top-left ab and traced the small indent of his rib. Black paint smeared his minty-green skin in her wake. We movements were deliberate as she took her time with each sensual touch. She added painted streaks above each of his abs and as she traveled further down, he shivered under her hand. Then she sat up and took his arms and added paint in each crook. When she finished, she moved on to his cheeks and his pointed nose, leaving smaller lines over all of his facial features. She paused for a moment to admire her work, but squinted and chewed her bottom lip in deep thought. Gar sat there silently as she contemplated her next move. Finally settling on what was missing, she used her free hand to bring his face closer to her's, then used her paint-covered fingers to add small black dots over his dark freckles.

She was close enough that he could feel her hot breath warm his face. Her vanilla scent carried in the air and washed over his senses, sending blood rushing to both his cheeks and his groin. Once her task was complete, she gently pushed him back and added dots to his arms and his rib cage.

"Now your legs." Her demand was met with a suspicious glance, but he complied nonetheless. She dropped her own legs so that he could lift one up and drape it over the log, awaiting her careful touch. She started with his ankle, adding little lines and dots on the top on his leg. But then she began moving upwards, slowly and patiently climbing his leg until she came to the royal purple material of his loincloth.

Her hand snuck past the thick clothing and ran up his thigh. She could hear the rumbling in his chest as her hand came closer to his most sensitive spot. She looked him dead in the eyes, her face playing off innocence as she brushed the tips of her fingers over the base of his cock. Her icy touch made him spring into life. His hands gripped the tree and his claws dug into the bark. His jaw clenched and air hissed between his fangs. His head shot upward, along with the head of the very appendage Raven toyed with under his clothes.

She finally dropped her innocent facade in favor of eyeing him curiously, trying to judge if she would get away with her actions or not. He definitely did not look pleased, but when he made no move to stop her, she assumed it meant he wanted to be pleased. So she slid her hand out from under the cloth and reapplied some paint to her fingers.

"Other leg." She stated simply and he replied with only a gruff as he dropped the first one and slug over the second. She repeated the same steps and when she came back to the top of his leg, once again she slid her hand under the animal hide. This time she was bolder and took him completely in her hand. She stroked him as he both growl and moaned in pleasure. She felt her hand dampen with what she knew was not the paint and that's when she decided to reach a stopping point. She slid her hand up to his shaft one last time, before quickly pulling her hand away.

His face tightened in anger and he growled at her, but she remained unfazed. Instead, she sat the bowl of black paint down and picked up another bowl that was beside it.

She gave him a devilish smirk. "Now, for the yellow." Was all she said as she went back over his body again.

**Link to the art piece by Kiome-yasha: **** post/185298997462/love-has-to-be-shown-by-deeds-not-words-a**


End file.
